Black Friday is a brilliant time to bag a bargain. The Black Friday Sale has gained popularity in UK over the years. It’s a great time to start your Christmas shopping or buy an electrical item, however it’s also a time where we contribute to waste by buying products we don’t necessarily need (or even initially want.)
2020 has had a huge impact on the economy therefore we may see larger sales, with greater discounts, but let’s make a choice to not contribute to waste and only buy what we need.
What kind of waste I hear you say?
Well firstly, from being a weekend or a day sale, Black Friday seems to pan over a few weeks now, which means more opportunity for us to browse and buy.
Buying due to temptation rather than need
We may end up buying due to temptation rather than need. If we don’t necessarily need the item, it may just end up sitting there once it’s arrived. How many times have you done this? I know I’ve been a culprit and am now making a conscious change to that habit.
Fast fashion is a big issue and contributes to so much waste, as does makeup as so many of the products can’t be easily recycled, and ingredients aren’t always biodegradable.
Packaging & Shipping
We’re in lockdown in UK, therefore most of our Black Friday shopping will take place online – that means more packaging, and emissions caused by delivery (depending where your package is coming from).
Returns
Most companies now accept returns. I remember I used to buy many options from ASOS and then send everything back apart from a couple of items. In my mind I thought I was being less wasteful by making sure I only kept what I really wanted. What I didn’t realise was that I was sending a large bag of clothing back which contributed to emissions (due to delivery and collection). This year if we want to return anything it will be done via delivery rather than straight to the shop, which will mean a massive contribution to many vans and trucks being on the road.
This post isn’t to say boycott Black Friday, but we need to make mindful choices about what goes into our online basket, and then ends up in our homes and what the product’s journey will be once it’s in our own home (and whether it ends up in the landfill or can be recycled, reused, repurposed.)
So what can we do to have a mindful and waste-less Black Friday
- Make a list of what you need to buy
- Maybe set a budget aside for how much you are able to spend
- If you are looking to purchase gifts for others – have a think whether they want, need or will appreciate that product. It may be a better idea to send an e-giftcard
- Shop with small, local businesses where possible (I also run a small family business with my mum and sister’s called Blooms By Vanita, everytime someone places an order we all do a happy dance, and I’m so sure all other small business’ do the same!)
- Shop a few items from the same site if possible to cut down on packaging.
- If you’re purchasing to replace an electrical item, check if you’re able to repair what you already have, or sell on to someone that can repair rather than discarding it in the landfill.
- Double check sale pricing as some companies may hike up the original price to make it look as though the sale price is a discount - it may only be slightly cheaper than actual original price.
- Purchase with companies who are ethical, sustainable and genuinely care for the environment.
- Shop second hand where possible – I am loving Vinted at the moment to browse through.
- Prior to purchasing make sure you haven’t got a similar item at home. This can happen a lot with makeup, you may have the same lipstick or eyeshadow from a different company but the same or similar shade.
- If you plan to return an item, do keep original packaging, but most importantly only purchase what you need to avoid having to arrange a return.
- Don’t let the internet or ads tell you what you need. Try and ignore the messages online (spend £10 more for free shipping etc) – Just buy what you need and what’s on your list
- Pro Makeup Artists – Avoid buying too much, we’ve hardly been able to work this year (if you’re in the wedding industry), our products have a use by date once opened, buy only what you need.
Remember don’t treat this like the last sale ever!
Apart from that Happy Shopping!